Acts 5:18

Act 5:18 . ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας : a phrase used twice in St. Luke’s Gospel, and three times in the Acts, cf. Gen 22:12 . Cf. Hebrew שָׁלַח יָד אֶל . ἐν τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ , “in public ward,” R.V. δημ . used here as an adjective, only found in N.T. in Acts, in the three other passages used as an adverb, Act 16:37 , Act 18:28 , Act 20:20 ( 2Ma 6:10 , 3MMal 2:2 ), cf. Thuc., v., 18, where τὸ δημόσιον = the public prison. See note above on Act 4:3 . Hilgenfeld is so far right in pointing out that the two imprisonments, Act 4:3 and Act 5:18 , are occasioned by two different causes, in the first case by the preaching of the Apostles to the people, and in the second by the reverence which their miracles gained from the people.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 18. Put them in the common prison.] It being too late in the evening to bring them to a hearing. To this verse the Codex Bezae adds, και επορευθη εἱς ἑκαστος εις τα ιδια, And each of them went to his own house.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(18) Put them in the common prison.—The word is the same as the “ward “of Act_4:3. The addition of the word “common” or “public” perhaps indicates a greater severity of treatment. They were not merely kept in custody, but dealt with as common criminals, compelled to herd with ruffians and robbers and murderers.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. and laid their hands on the apostles] The best MSS. omit their. The whole of the twelve are now seized, for the authorities are roused to activity. It is clear from this that, though St Luke has only mentioned the speeches of Peter, with some slight notice that John also was a speaker, yet all the Apostles were busy, and could have been quoted as preachers and teachers had it been any part of the compiler’s purpose to write a history of all the Apostles.

and put them in the common prison] The noun is the same as in Act_4:3, and the notion—that of ward, as a place of temporary imprisonment till the formal summoning of the council next day—should here be preserved. Read, in public ward. Such confinement was only precautionary and formed no part of the punishment intended by the Sadducees.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But the angel of the Lord,.... Or "of God", as the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, whether Michael, as some have thought, or Gabriel, or what particular angel, is not material to know. However, it was a good angel, an elect angel, one of those ministering spirits sent by God to minister to the heirs of promise; one of those angels that excel in strength, as appears by what he did: for he

by night opened the prison doors; where the apostles were put, and which had more doors than one, and these strong and close shut, and guarded by keepers; but were easily opened by the angel. It was very likely at, or towards the evening, when the apostles were taken, and therefore they were committed to prison, there to lie all night, till next morning, when the sanhedrim would meet together to consult what to do with them:

and brought them forth; out of the prison, leading them out at the doors he had opened for them:

and said; the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions add, "to them"; that is, to the apostles, as follows.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

Ver. 18. Put them in the common prison] Bocardo (when the good bishops were there in Queen Mary’s days) was called a college of quondams (has beens): and almost all other prisons in England were become right Christian schools and Churches, saith Mr Fox.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The common prison - The public prison; or the prison for the keeping of common and notorious offenders.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

See Act 4:3.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Laid hands (as Act_4:3, A.V. and R.V.) for laid their hands, A.V. and T.R.; in public ward for in the common prison, A.V. Laid hands, etc. Laid their hands is equally right, even when auJtwn is omitted, as the translation of tav ceirav. There is no difference in the sense in the two renderings, or in the two passages, though inbalon Act_4:3 the phrase is ejpe aujtoiv tav ceirav, and here ejpebalon tav ceirav aujtwn ejpi toulouv. In public ward. The A.V. is more idiomatic and expresses exactly what is meant by the phrase thrhsei dhmosia. Meyer quotes the phrases tosion in Thucydides, and oijkia dhmosia in Xenophon for the common piton. (see Act_4:3)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 17

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

18. Put them in the common prison. In the city jail, among malefactors. “The 'common prison,' corresponding to our jail, consists of a single room in the governor's cellar, with a floor of earth, and one small window, where all manner of people, from the murderer to the insolent debtor, are promiscuously crowded together. The only furniture consists of a bench, always occupied by the strongest; the rest lie on the floor, or stand. We have visited prisons of this kind where we could only stand a few moments upon the threshold on account of the foul air. The keepers remain outside of the door (Acts 5:23), but the prisoners are not bound.—Van Lenneps.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

18. αὐτῶν omitted with אABD. The Vulg. has no pronoun.

18. ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. The whole twelve are now arrested. The new teachers must be put down. It is clear from this, though St Luke has only mentioned the speeches of Peter, with some slight notice that John also was a speaker, that all the Apostles were busy, and could have been quoted as preachers and teachers had it been any part of the compiler’s purpose to write a history of all the Apostles.

ἐν τηρήσει δημοσίᾳ, in public ward. See note on Act 4:3. This was meant to be a temporary imprisonment, till next day when the council could be gathered.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. τηρ.] see ch. 4:3.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In the common prison [εν τηρησει δημοσια] . Incorrect. Thrhsiv is not used in the sense of prison, but is an abstract term meaning ward or keeping, as in ch. 4 3. There is no article, moreover. Note, too, that another word is used for the prison in the next verse [της φυλακης] . Rev., therefore, correctly, in public ward.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.